A BRIEF PEACE
Price: $310.00 Code: 2178 |
Directed by: Ata Hayati
2004, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Revealing an aspect of Iranian society rarely exposed to the West, A Brief Peace looks at Iran's distinctive culture of death.
Twenty years after the disappearance of the young Iranian Ali, his mother can finally bury him. He used to work for the Air Force and died as a martyr. At a special cemetery, Iranians who have found lost loved ones are collectively interred. Fellow mourners have had to wait in line to make a reservation for a tombstone, and one man even has the presence of mind to ask for a discount. Through a window, they watch how the corpses are wrapped in shrouds. In many cases, the only remnants are a weathered belt, an old shoe or some bones. The tombstones are meticulously engraved, complete with a portrait of the deceased carved in stone. Death is the beginning of a new life and they embrace it. A Brief Peace presents the culture of death in Iran, depicting how close death and life, laughter and tears, or sadness and happiness can be. The cemetery is a rendezvous, a picnic place, a play ground and a training place for the soldiers.
* Official Selection, Brooklyn International Film Festival
2004, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Revealing an aspect of Iranian society rarely exposed to the West, A Brief Peace looks at Iran's distinctive culture of death.
Twenty years after the disappearance of the young Iranian Ali, his mother can finally bury him. He used to work for the Air Force and died as a martyr. At a special cemetery, Iranians who have found lost loved ones are collectively interred. Fellow mourners have had to wait in line to make a reservation for a tombstone, and one man even has the presence of mind to ask for a discount. Through a window, they watch how the corpses are wrapped in shrouds. In many cases, the only remnants are a weathered belt, an old shoe or some bones. The tombstones are meticulously engraved, complete with a portrait of the deceased carved in stone. Death is the beginning of a new life and they embrace it. A Brief Peace presents the culture of death in Iran, depicting how close death and life, laughter and tears, or sadness and happiness can be. The cemetery is a rendezvous, a picnic place, a play ground and a training place for the soldiers.
Subjects & Collections
Death & Dying Middle Eastern Studies Islamic Studies Psychology & Psychiatry Cultural Studies Sociology
Festivals & Awards
* Official Selection, International Film Festival Amsterdam* Official Selection, Brooklyn International Film Festival